Cosmic Circus Podcasts
We discuss movies, TV shows and streaming series, comics, and comic book movies (such as DC or Marvel Studios). Video versions of many of these episodes are on YouTube @TheCosmicCircus . If you enjoy this podcast, please consider supporting us on patreon.com/cosmiccircus . Benefits include a private Discord where you can talk about movies, shows, books, games and comics with other fans! For more from The Cosmic Circus, including links to articles, film, TV series, comics, books, and game reviews, visit thecosmiccircus.com Questions? Concerns? Suggestions? Please contact: podcasts@thecosmiccircus.com
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Episodes
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Monday Jan 27, 2025
John & Vin discuss the new Universal monster movie Wolf Man. They also explore the filmography of writer/director Leigh Whannell and the potential future of a career that launched with hits like Saw, Upgrade, and Invisible Man.
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
Tuesday Jan 14, 2025
John & Vin preview 10 films they're most excited for from Sundance 2025. From time travel and goofy comedies to documentaries and tense thrillers, join us as we take a look at the newest batch of films from one of the world's biggest independent film festivals.
Bubble & Squeak - USA Director(s): Evan Twohy Screenwriter: Evan Twohy Starring: Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Steven Yeun, Dave Franco, Matt Berry
The Things You K ll - Turkey Director(s): Alireza Khatami Screenwriter: Alireza Khatami
Serious People - USA Director(s): Pasqual Gutierrez & Ben Mullinkosson Screenwriters: Pasqual Gutierrez & Ben Mullinkosson Starring: Pasqual Gutierrez
Train Dreams - USA Director(s): Clint Bentley Screenwriters: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy
By Design - USA Director(s): Amanda Kramer Screenwriter: Amanda Kramer Starring: Juliette Lewis
Endless Cookie - Canada Director(s): Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver Screenwriters: Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver
Luz - Hong Kong/China Director(s): Flora Lau Screenwriter: Flora Lau
The Wedding Banquet - USA Director(s): Andrew Ahn Screenwriters: Andrew Ahn & James Schamus Starring: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran
If I Had Legs I'd Kick You - USA Director(s): Mary Bronstein Screenwriter: Mary Bronstein Starring: Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, Conan O'Brien
Rabbit Trap - UK Director(s): Bryn Chainey Screenwriter: Bryn Chainey Starring: Dev Patel
Timestamps
0:00 Intro 7:16 Bubble & Squeak - USA Director(s): Evan Twohy Screenwriter: Evan Twohy Starring: Himesh Patel, Sarah Goldberg, Steven Yeun, Dave Franco, Matt Berry 8:24 The Things You K ll - Turkey Director(s): Alireza Khatami Screenwriter: Alireza Khatami 9:15 Serious People - USA Director(s): Pasqual Gutierrez & Ben Mullinkosson Screenwriters: Pasqual Gutierrez & Ben Mullinkosson Starring: Pasqual Gutierrez 11:30 Train Dreams - USA Director(s): Clint Bentley Screenwriters: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar Starring: Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon, William H. Macy 12:31 By Design - USA Director(s): Amanda Kramer Screenwriter: Amanda Kramer Starring: Juliette Lewis 13:45 Endless Cookie - Canada Director(s): Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver Screenwriters: Seth Scriver, Peter Scriver 14:54 Luz - Hong Kong/China Director(s): Flora Lau Screenwriter: Flora Lau 15:47 The Wedding Banquet - USA Director(s): Andrew Ahn Screenwriters: Andrew Ahn & James Schamus Starring: Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Kelly Marie Tran 17:43 If I Had Legs I’d Kick You - USA Director(s): Mary Bronstein Screenwriter: Mary Bronstein Starring: Rose Byrne, A$AP Rocky, Conan O'Brien 18:52 Rabbit Trap - UK Director(s): Bryn Chainey Screenwriter: Bryn Chainey Starring: Dev Patel 19:45 What to expect from Sundance 23:26 Outro
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
John and Vin review Flow, a groundbreaking animated film from Latvia. Set after a mysterious apocalyptic event, animals explore the Earth in a post-human world. The 85-minute film contains no dialogue and was rendered entirely on Blender, a free animation software. How does it compare to The Wild Robot? Is this better for kids or adults? Join John and Vin as they break down this monumental achievement in their preparation for awards season. Now a Golden Globes 2025 winner!
FLOW (Straume, 2024) Directed by Gints Zilbalodis Written by Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža Music by Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zaļupe
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
John & Vin discuss the history of #Nosferatu on screen. From F.W. Murnau's 1922 film to Robert Egger's 2024 film, with special mention of Werner Herzog's 1979 remake and other versions of Dracula as well!
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) Directed by F. W. Murnau Screenplay by Henrik Galeen Based on Dracula by Bram Stoker Starring Max Schreck
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) Written and Directed by Werner Herzog Based on Dracula by Bram Stoker Based on Nosferatu by F. W. Murnau and Henrik Galeen Starring Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani
Nosferatu (2024) Written and Directed by Robert Eggers Based on Nosferatu by F. W. Murnau and Henrik Galeen Starring Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Friday Jan 10, 2025
Vic and Vin breakdown the new Superman (2025) trailer. The boys talk about some of their favorite pieces of inspiration they noticed, and what these story decisions could mean for the future of James Gunn's new DCU. #superman #superheromovies #supermancomics
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Sunday Jan 05, 2025
Sunday Jan 05, 2025
The holiday season might be over, but we're not done celebrating one of the greatest times of the year! That's right; there's nothing like a Doctor Who Christmas special to make our spirits bright! With the return of Steven Moffat as the writer of Doctor Who: Joy to the World, we have much to be thankful for and much to discuss!
In this episode of The Cosmic Circle, host Brian Kitson and writers Wiktor Reinfuss and Cameron Brook break down all the excitement from this special. What about this special worked for them? Was there anything they wished was different? Also listen to their thoughts about the upcoming season!
Thursday Jan 02, 2025
Thursday Jan 02, 2025
John & Vin discuss their favorite movies of 2024. Each critic lists their top 10, along with honorable mentions and a special section about missing films they wish they had seen. In a year that featured everything from Nosferatu to Emilia Perez, Anora to We Live in Time, Alien: Romulus and Deadpool & Wolverine, what did the guys choose as their year-end best? Tune in to find out! Find the full video reviews of some of the movies mentioned linked below!
Anora, The Wild Robot, Will & Harper https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkDSUVEW44I&t=999s
Red Rooms https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtR4lmSWH1E&t=326s
Smile 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLlkwM1rn9M&t=1048s
Tatami https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xS0N2Bg0-N8&t=14s
The Count of Monte Cristo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC0InqJz1eE&t=327s
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89yVpiqayCA&t=1631s
The Substance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7bJzNyEl0w&t=1003s
U Are the Universe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG9PN4B6zOY&t=361s
U Are the Universe interview with the writer/director Pavlo Ostrikov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiMPIEUg4_0&t=13s
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Friday Dec 20, 2024
Friday Dec 20, 2024
John and Vin got together immediately following the release of the trailer for the upcoming Superman film to share their first reaction to the trailer.
Find the video version of this review on YouTube https://youtu.be/QYgqKaqey18?si=sC_EQcR4sR5uI6Sh
Superman is directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. The film's expected release is July 11, 2025
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Get ready for James Gunn's latest project with Creature Commandos! Join us as we explore the world of this new DC animated series and see what it has in store for us! John & Vin discuss their general thoughts on and reaction to Creature Commandos season 1 after watching screeners for the full season. (SPOILER-FREE).
Find the video of this podcast on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Rgtre9nusGE?si=e20wJGGbKU9faamN
CREATURE COMMANDOS (2024) Showrunner: Dean Lorey Written by: James Gunn Starring:
Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky
Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.
Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot & Weasel
David Harbour as Eric Frankenstein
Alan Tudyk as Doctor Phosphorus
Indira Varma as the Bride
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
Wednesday Dec 04, 2024
With the finale of Superman & Lois titled "It Went By So Fast" now available online, Vic and Vin discuss the legacy of the four-season television series. From the breathtaking opening sequence of season 1 to the emotional epilogue of season 4, this DC series is a triumphant achievement in the canon of Superman.
Superman & Lois stars Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane, with Alex Garfin and Michael Bishop as their "Super Sons" Jordan and Jonathan Kent. Superman and his family take on the notorious villain Lex Luthor this final season, played by Michael Cudlitz. The show is streaming on the CW, Max and other providers.
For more articles, reviews, news and interviews, visit https://thecosmiccircus.com
Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
Tuesday Dec 03, 2024
Join Vin as he shares his instant reaction to the brand-new DC animated series, Creature Commandos! nd the Frankenstein universe.
Find the video version of this review on YouTube https://youtu.be/fmoXynCKkt0?si=u4jAA8j3isLQmfZT
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Saturday Nov 30, 2024
Saturday Nov 30, 2024
Vic and Vin discuss one of the most legendary Spider-Man storylines, Kraven's Last Hunt. They also look back at Sony's Spider-Man Universe and the potential for the upcoming Kraven The Hunter movie starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson!
KRAVEN'S LAST HUNT (1987) Written by J. M. DeMatteis Pencilled by Mike Zeck Inked by Bob McLeod Lettered by Rick Parker Colored by Bob Sharen, Janet Jackson, Mike Zeck
For the video of this review, visit our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/i52HRGscDqg
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
Tuesday Nov 26, 2024
John & Vin dive deep into Jon M. Chu's Wicked. Does the newest Wizard of Oz installment live up to expectations? How does it build on the legacy of the books, movies, and musicals that have come before?
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning and Oscar®-nominated powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda. The two forge an unlikely but profound friendship, until their lives take very different paths. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Find the full video of this review on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vwqrO9kVoPk?si=1dX0V1VWwOdpS0Lh
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Monday Nov 25, 2024
Monday Nov 25, 2024
John & Vin continue their discussion of Gladiator II with a spoiler-filled deep dive into the twists and turns of Ridley Scott's new sequel. This next chapter is produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The script was written by David Scarpa, based on a story idea by Peter Craig.
Set years after the original 2000 Oscar-winning film, the sequel features Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus. Returning cast members include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus. New additions to the cast are Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Denzel Washington. Here is the full synopsis: Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.
Find the video version of this review at https://youtu.be/NMM5X9ahBPU
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
Thursday Nov 21, 2024
John and Vin review the long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II, directed by Ridley Scott. This next chapter is produced by Scott Free Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The script was written by David Scarpa, based on a story idea by Peter Craig. Set years after the original 2000 Oscar-winning film, the sequel features Paul Mescal as Lucius Verus. Returning cast members include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla and Derek Jacobi as Gracchus. New additions to the cast are Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, and Denzel Washington.
Find the full video review on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/-zvZG7a53s8?si=OwhgkKwY_cGAUnSP
For more nerdy pop culture coverage, including movie and TV news, reviews, and interviews by The Cosmic Circus contributors, visit https://www.thecosmiccircus.com
Follow us on social media @mycosmiccircus (now on Bluesky @TheCosmicCircus.com) or visit the Linktree to find us: https://linktr.ee/cosmiccircus